An Yi continued, "There's one more thing. Consort Yi burned orchid incense in the palace. This incense is extremely dangerous; if a woman smells it, her mind will be controlled, and she will remember the words of the person who burned it."
An Yi: "The greatest use of this incense is for cultivating puppets. It's a secret medicine from the Southern Frontier. I come from the Southern Frontier, so I recognize this incense."
The emperor flew into a rage: "Consort Yi deserves to die!"
Emperor Zhou Jin: "Xi'er is her own niece. Has she gone mad?"
An Yi: "Your Majesty, rest assured, I have secretly given Consort Rong the antidote."
Emperor Zhou Jin narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of murderous intent rising in his heart: "You did a good job on this matter. I want you to investigate the unusual behavior of Consort Yi."
Judging from the emperor's tone, the number one bodyguard knew that Consort Yi's fate would not be good.
"Is the illegitimate daughter of the Zhao family related to Consort Yi?" Emperor Zhou Jin had another matter to concern him with.
"The Imperial Concubine Yi met with Miss Zhao before the selection of concubines, but the two did not discuss this matter. I am too dull to find any conclusive evidence," An Yi reported.
"There's no need to investigate this matter anymore. You only need to investigate the matter of the fragrant orchid in Consort Yi's palace." The Emperor felt that there was no need to investigate this matter any further.
Consort Yi was meticulous in her actions, but vicious in her heart; all her children died silently in her hands.
The fact that the concubine's daughter of the Prime Minister Zhao family cooperated with the Imperial Concubine Yi was tantamount to conspiring with a tiger, and she would inevitably suffer a backlash sooner or later, so she was nothing to fear.
Zhou Jin didn't take her seriously at all. He just wanted to know how powerful Consort Yi was in the palace. The Bai family had been eliminated, but Consort Yi hadn't shown any signs of weakness, so she must have other support.
Zhou Jin admitted that his initial favor towards Xi'er was to use her as a starting point to probe the background of Consort Yi. Unfortunately, Consort Yi was hostile towards Xi'er and even wanted to harm her. If it weren't for An Yi, she would probably be poisoned today.
Zhou Jin was filled with lingering fear. The thought of Xi'er being controlled sent chills down his spine.
Xi'er is too naive and is no match for Consort Yi. All I can do is protect her.
Zhou Jin's mind was completely occupied by that little brat. Having been in power for so many years, she had seen all sorts of scheming and corruption in the palace.
The imperial court and the harem were closely intertwined, and he was used to weighing the pros and cons. He never expected that heaven would bestow upon him such a beautiful and talented woman, and he would protect her well.
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The Seventh Prince's Residence.
"Your Highness, news has come from the palace that the Emperor has kept two young ladies from the Prime Minister's residence during this selection of consorts, presumably intending to choose the eldest daughter of the Emperor's family as your principal wife." The speaker was an advisor to the Seventh Prince.
"I had no idea that you were so interested in my marriage, sir." The Seventh Prince was handsome and looked a lot like his mother. He was charming but not effeminate. He was dressed in red and had a powerful aura.
"I was thinking that since the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's family is rumored to be ugly, Your Highness must be even more handsome," Zhang Sheng teased with a sly look on his face.
"Seeing how leisurely you are, I'm sending you to the frontier to handle official business." The Seventh Prince knew this man was usually unruly and needed a good talking-to.
"Your Highness, please don't be anxious. Haven't you heard that the Prime Minister's wife and eldest son both died under rather strange circumstances, and that Prime Minister Zhao Zikai disliked his eldest daughter quite a bit?" Zhang Sheng continued speaking.
"I never knew you talked so much, like a common woman from the marketplace," the Seventh Prince said calmly.
"Your Highness, the power behind that eldest daughter of the Zhao family is not to be underestimated. She has established a secret guard battalion, and her father, the Prime Minister, seems unaware of it." Zhang Sheng's expression gradually became serious.
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